Omoda C5 X review

Omoda is one of Chery’s sub-brands in the South African market, combining daring design with an abundance of in-cabin digitisation.

Its mid-size crossovers are gaining in popularity, and product planners at Omoda have been doing what all Chinese car companies are renowned for: responding to trends with iterations.

Some manufacturers let owners’ feedback go into a recycle bin. Chinese R&D teams respond. And with the Omoda C5 range, that response has been an ‘X’ version, adding a touch more utility space and mechanical upgrades to the drivetrain and suspension.

But is the C5 X Series Lux X worth its premium over the standard C5?

There’s more luggage space

The brand’s C5 is a mid-sized crossover with a sloping roofline and five-door coupe look that appeals to buyers who prioritise appearance over absolute practicality.

With its defined grille, teardrop silhouette, and bold rear light clusters, the C5 has a striking appearance. However, the sloping rear roofline does mean it lacks the absolute luggage area cargo space of a more traditionally proportioned two-box SUV of similar size.

Industrial designers and interior architects at Omoda have tried to optimise the C5’s luggage space. The 2025 range update, in X-Series trim, now features a touch more luggage volume in the cargo area. How much? The C5 X Series offers 442 litres of usable luggage space, compared to 378 litres for the legacy and non-X-Series versions.

Does the increased rear luggage space really make much of a difference? It does. When packing for a long weekend road trip or a vacation journey to the coast, every extra litre of luggage space becomes apparent.

There’s a tested saying in family car ownership: you only notice those missing litres of luggage capacity when it’s too late. And you need to discard personal items (or kids’ toys) during the emotionally laden night before packing phase for a road trip. With the C5 X-Series, the 64 litres of additional luggage space means you can take more of the stuff that matters to you on those meaningful long weekends and vacation journeys.

Cabin tech is comprehensive

Leaning into the almost infinite Chinese electronics UX screen supply chain, brands like Omoda are shaming legacy car companies with their in-car experience. And Omoda’s mid-sized crossover is no different.

The dual 10.25-inch infotainment and instrumentation screens are excellent. Menu navigation is intuitive, and there’s no lag in screen functions. It’s testament to the quality of integration engineering and the potency of the microprocessors used by Omoda for its in-car digitisation.

South African crossover buyers, especially those who are brand-agnostic and seeking the most value and features, value vehicle connectivity. And like many other Chinese cars, the C5 X offers a depth and breadth of device connectivity and digital configurability that trends ahead of traditional European, Korean, and Japanese rivals.

DCT drivetrain upgrade

Omoda’s product team made two noteworthy technical enhancements to the C5 X: improved dampers and a new transmission.

Throttle calibration, especially at low speeds while crawling in urban traffic, is a challenge for even the most experienced automotive engineers. Chinese teams have struggled to create cars that are consistent and easy to modulate on the throttle at low speeds.

C5 X’s drivetrain matches the familiar Chery 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbopetrol, with a six-speed dual clutch (DCT) transmission. More complex than conventional automatic transmissions, the DCT offers lower mechanical drag, which means slightly improved fuel economy. The other benefit is much faster and more intuitive gearshifts, either up or down, because of those two clutches – one of which is always primed to release or engage the next gear.

In the C5 X, the engineering integration team has done well. At low speeds, there’s no lurching or creep on the throttle. When hunting for that gap in morning highway traffic, the six-speed DCT also downshifts rapidly, when a burst of acceleration is required.

But what about the economy? Omoda claims 6.9L/100km, but in real-world, daily driving, you’ll be edging towards 9L/100km. A small capacity turbodiesel crossover remains a lot more economical regarding fuel cost than the Chinese 1.5-litre turbopetrols.

Reconfigured rear axle

Beyond the more responsive drivetrain, the X-version of Omoda’s mid-size crossover features a multi-link rear axle. That’s a very significant upgrade from the legacy C5’s beam axle.

With improved kinematics and lateral wheel isolation on the rear axle, the ride quality is significantly enhanced on real-world South African roads. Potholes, surface ridges, and other imperfections create less rear axle wheel deflection when rolling over them at speed in the C5 X.

The truth is that many purchasing decisions, especially in the fashion-conscious crossover market, are made on exterior styling appearance. And in-car digitisation. However, the long-distance driving experience, whether on previous weekends away or yearly vacation journeys, is where deep engineering prowess truly matters. Like suspension set-up.

Why multi-link matters

South Africa’s driving distances are vast, and vehicles with superior suspension set-ups deliver value hours into the journey from Gauteng to the coast. Better ride comfort and superior road tracking stability at highway cruising speeds are two features of an enhanced suspension configuration that matter.

For front-wheel drive vehicles, the difference between beam and multi-link rear axle configurations is a significant market consideration, with the latter consistently delivering superior ride quality and control. And that’s where the X’s multi-link rear suspension upgrade makes a real difference.

Is C5 X the better deal?

Omoda’s value proposition, with its more spacious, DCT-equipped, and suspension-upgraded X-version crossover, is real.

At R425 900, it is outrageous value. For the size and specification, there’s nothing from a legacy automaker in the South African market that can rival Omoda’s X-factor compact crossover.

Debits? It’s still heavy on fuel and the daring exterior design won’t be universally appealing. Still, for South Africans who want a crossover that looks futuristic, with decent weekend-away load space, the X is a notable upgrade over the standard C5.

Are you curious, but not quite sure if you want to own a Chinese car? The 5-year/150,000 km warranty, 5-year/70,000 km service plan, and 10-year/1 million km engine warranty may assuage those doubts.